North Carolina governor on upcoming presidential debate and guns
(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the upcoming presidential debate.
When asked if he anticipates "the average North Carolinian is open to persuasion or even watching what happens on that debate stage this week," Cooper responded with:
"There's no question about it. It's close here in North Carolina. It always is. This was Biden Harris's closest loss in 2020 only 1.3%. So the fact that Kamala Harris, as Vice President of the United States, has been to North Carolina 17 times shows that she cares about our state. She knows that we are in play. And she knows that if she wins North Carolina, she is the next President of the United States because Trump has no other pathway."
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC)
During the interview, Brennan and Cooper talked about a recent CBS News poll showing "a competitive race for Donald Trump, largely because of those voters who just don't think they are better off financially right now" and "their incomes are not keeping up with inflation."
When asked how Democrats "change this perception," Cooper said:
"I think that same poll...said that people had more trust in Kamala Harris to help the middle class, and as she spends time getting out her economic plan of shifting the tax burden here, we need to make sure that billionaires and corporations pay their fair share and that everyday people and small businesses get The tax benefits. As she talks about her childcare plan and providing childcare tax credits, you've got Donald Trump, who clearly doesn't understand the problem. You got JD Vance, who's saying, 'Well, you should get your grandparents or your aunts or uncles to look after children.' Completely clueless. When we continue to get this information out to the American public, and to people here in North Carolina, that Kamala Harris has an economic plan that's going to help lower the cost for everyday people, that's going to help families thrive, that is going to protect women's reproductive freedom. I think at the end of the day, that's going to be what works here.
Brennan and Cooper talked gun control in light of last week's school shooting in Georgia.
"I think we have to do everything we can to reduce gun violence, particularly gun violence in our schools. And I think that that is appropriate, but we also know that these military style assault weapons are being used by lots of people. They can kill multiple people. We don't need to have them on the streets. Look, you can't be tough on crime if you're weak on gun laws. Vice President Harris and I here in North Carolina, as a gun owner, as the supporter of the Second Amendment, support stronger background checks, red flag laws and banning these military style assault weapons. We shouldn't even have them available for people to use in these mass murders that are occurring. I'm tired of seeing texts from children in a school telling their parents that they're afraid and that they love them. We cannot normalize this."
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC)
To watch more of Brennan's interview with Cooper, click here.
